Event signature apparatus, systems, and methods

Abstract

An apparatus and a system, as well as a method and article, may operate to compare a circuit operational condition with a specified condition, to record an out-of-specification condition, and to determine some specified number of recorded out-of-specification conditions.

1. A method, comprising:
 storing data corresponding to at least one input operating over-voltage condition occurring in an integrated circuit in an indelible memory; determining a specified number of stored over-voltage conditions; indicating the specified number of stored over-voltage conditions; refraining from detecting the over-voltage input operating condition for a specified amount of time, and wherein the specified amount of time is associated with a power-on reset time. 
 
   
   
     2. A method, comprising:
 comparing an input operational condition of an electronic circuit with a specified condition: 
 recording data corresponding to an out-of-specification input operating condition in an indelible memory; and 
 determining a specified number of recorded out-of-specification input operating conditions indicating the specified number of said out-of-specification conditions; refraining from detecting the out-of-specification input operating condition for a specified amount of time, and wherein the specified amount of time is associated with a power-on reset time. 
 
   
   
     3. The method of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 detecting the out-of-specification input operating condition as an input operating over-voltage condition. 
 
   
   
     4. The method of  claim 2 , wherein the specified condition comprises a recommended operational input voltage upper limit associated with an integrated circuit. 
   
   
     5. The method of  claim 2 , wherein the indelible memory comprises at least one fuse. 
   
   
     6. The method of  claim 2 , wherein determining the specified number of recorded out-of-specification input operating conditions further comprises:
 reading a signature value stored in the indelible memory. 
 
   
   
     7. An article comprising a machine-accessible medium having associated data, wherein the data, when accessed, results in a machine performing:
 comparing an input operational voltage of an electronic circuit with a specified voltage; 
 recording a value corresponding to an input operating over-voltage condition in an indelible memory; 
 determining a specified number of recorded input operating over-voltage conditions; displaying said specified number of over-voltage conditions; and recording a clock speed at the time of occurrence of the over-voltage input operation condition. 
 
   
   
     8. The article of  claim 7 , wherein the data, when accessed, results in the machine performing:
 filtering the input operational voltage for at least a duration of one clock period. 
 
   
   
     9. The article of  claim 7 , wherein recording the value corresponding to the input operating over-voltage condition further comprises:
 recording the value corresponding to the input operating over-voltage condition only if the input operational voltage is greater than the specified voltage by a selected amount. 
 
   
   
     10. The article of  claim 9 , wherein the selected amount is at least about two times greater than an expected noise voltage value. 
   
   
     11. The article of  claim 7 , wherein the data, when accessed, results in the machine performing:
 verifying recordation of the value corresponding to the input operating over-voltage condition. 
 
   
   
     12. An apparatus, comprising:
 an indelible memory to store information corresponding to a selected number of out-of-specification input operational conditions encountered by an electronic circuit; a display for displaying said selected number of out-of-specification input operational conditions; and a filter for refraining from detecting the out-of-specification input operating condition for a specified amount of time, wherein the specified of time is associated with a power-on reset time. 
 
   
   
     13. The apparatus of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 a detection module coupled to the indelible memory to determine the existence of at least one of the selected number of out-of-specification input operational conditions. 
 
   
   
     14. The apparatus of  claim 13 , further comprising:
 a filter module coupled to the detection module. 
 
   
   
     15. The apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein the indelible memory comprises a fuse. 
   
   
     16. The apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein at least one of the out-of-specification input operational conditions comprises an over-voltage condition. 
   
   
     17. A system, comprising:
 an indelible memory to store data corresponding to a selected number of out-of-specification input operational conditions and a clock speed occurrence at the time of said conditions encountered by an electronic circuit; and 
 a display coupled to the electronic circuit to indicate said selected number. 
 
   
   
     18. The system of  claim 17 , wherein the electronic circuit comprises a microprocessor. 
   
   
     19. The system of  claim 17 , further comprising:
 a logic module to detect each one of the selected number of out-of-specification input operational conditions. 
 
   
   
     20. The system of  claim 19 , wherein the logic module comprises an analog-to-digital converter. 
   
   
     21. The system of  claim 17 , further comprising:
 a second memory to store data corresponding to a specified condition to be compared with an operational condition associated with the electronic circuit. 
 
   
   
     22. The system of  claim 21 , wherein the specified condition comprises a recommended operational input voltage upper limit associated with an integrated circuit. 
   
   
     23. The system of  claim 22 , wherein the integrated circuit comprises a microprocessor. 
   
   
     24. The system of  claim 17 , further comprising:
 a basic input-output system to determine the selected number of out-of-specification input operational conditions.